What Does It Mean To Be Courageous?

PHOTO CAPTION: Being courageous means trying something even when you are afraid.


I love the story of Esther in the Bible. There is so much hope and courage in that story and yet as I dig deeper, I find a lot of questions that someday I hope to ask God. I find it interesting that God is not actually mentioned in the book of Esther and yet His underlying, faithful presence is very much there. I think that Esther encourages all of us to stand up for what is right and to be bold enough to do something even if what you do goes against the rules of protocal or the popular opinion of your time. How do we stand up for what is right, what we believe in? Just what does it mean to be brave? Reading the story of Esther, I believe, helped me to put these questions into perspective. Here’s what I learned from her story.

Esther didn’t think of herself as brave at first. She really didn’t want to go before the king. She knew it was against the protocol of her time, yet when her cousin Mordecai encouraged her she agreed to do what she could even if it meant giving her life. That’s courage!
Courage often comes from the encouragement of others.



Another lesson I learned from Esther is that she didn’t react to the situation, she responded. It would have been very foolish of her to react with anger and stomp into see the king uninvited although she could have been justified in her anger as her very own people were facing destruction. When we are facing unfair situations, like Esther, let’s respond, not react.
Courage is not hiding nor is it reacting, it’s responding carefully to the situation.

How did Esther respond to the situation she was facing? Although she was queen and although she had reason to be upset about the plight of her people, she responded with grace and dignity. She didn’t talk behind the king’s back, she didn’t complain and she didn’t try to usurp or undermine the king’s authority – not that she could have during the time that she lived in – yet she didn’t. I wonder how we would react today? Would we post our “soapbox” narrative on our social media sites? Would we complain about how terrible our nation is now and how bad the king (president) and his officials are? Would we complain about our boss, the company we work for or perhaps even our neighbors? I hope not, even if we do have a legitimate concern.

Yes, Esther responded. She responded by calling her people to prayer and fasting. Although the name of God and prayer are not specifically mentioned in the book of Esther, it does say she called for a fast and I believe that fasting was a call to prayer. They abstained from food for a period of time in order to spend time in prayer. God honored Esther and her people’s prayers and He rescued His people from annihilation. I wonder what God could do for our nation, our companies and our personal relationships today if we spent time in prayer instead of complaining?

Courage is often found on our knees as we join with others in prayer.



Finally, Esther listened to God and showed respect for the king. She didn’t go in to the king demanding her way even when the king asked what he could do for her. Instead she honored him. She asked 
the king and even the evil Haman to a banquet that she had prepared for them. Then she waited on God’s timing. She even asked them to a second banquet before she revealed to the king, at his prompting, what was happening to her people and who was responsible for the actions against her people.
Courage waits for the right timing.

PARENT PRAYER:

Father God,

I want to be courageous like Esther, but help me to look to you for my source of courage. Show me what battles are worth fighting and how to fight them with grace and dignity. Show me, show us how to be courageous in the right ways; to fight our battles on our knees. May we show honor and respect for others even those who disagree with us and when we do need to stand strong, may we respond instead of reacting or attacking those we disagree with. Show us how to teach our children to stand strong and yet wisely. I know there is a time to be courageous by letting our voice be heard in our families, our neighborhoods, our jobs, our churches and our nation and there is a time to show our courage by being silent and waiting for God to show us what to do. Like Esther, I desperately need your wisdom to know when to act and how to act in every situation that comes my way. Thank you for guiding me and giving me wisdom every day. Amen

SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
* When have I been courageous and tried something new?

* How can I encourage my child to be courageous and try something new?
– A good way to 
encourage our kids or 
 anyone is by cheering them on when they do something new.

* Do I tend to respond or react to situations I don’t like?

* Do I pray before reacting or responding to a situation I don’t 
like?

* When should I stand with courage and when should give 
grace and wait?

* How can I encourage my child to respond instead of reacting?
– Has your child every had to respond to a bully? Teach them to say a long, loud, “No!” or “Stop!” and
 to get help. It’s okay 
 to ask for help.

* Do I honor others, even those I disagree with?

* How can I honor those in authority when I don’t like a decision they are making?

* How can we honor those in authority and still stand courageously for our values?

* Do I tend to complain and do nothing or make my voice heard respectfully?

Kid’s Section

SHARE A STORY: Brave Queen Esther – Esther 1-10
Queen Esther lived in the palace with King Xerses. (Put on crown.) She loved God (Give self a hug.) and she was happy, but a very, mean man (Make a mean face.) named Haman wanted to hurt Queen Esther’s people. Haman told the king lies about Esther’s people. He wanted the king to get rid of all Queen Esther’s people. The king listened to Haman and so he made a new law to do just what Haman wanted.



Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, told Esther about Haman’s plan. He asked Esther to talk with the king. But Esther was afraid. (Make a scared face.) She knew talking with the king was the right thing to do, but what if the king was too busy? What if the king got mad at her? Esther decided she would be brave and talk to King Xerses anyway. She asked Mordecai to have her people pray and fast for her. Fast means to go without food so that you can pray. Then she would go to the king. If the king was happy to see her, he would hold out his scepter to her and she would be able to talk to him.

Esther went to see the king in his throne room. He did hold out his scepter to her. She came before the king and invited the king to a big dinner. (Say, “Yum! Yum! Yum!”) At the dinner, the king said to Esther, “What do want Queen Esther? I will give it to you.” Esther was still afraid. (Make a scared face.) She wanted to be brave and help her people. She trusted God to help her. (Point upwards for God.) So she invited the king to another dinner. (Say, “Yum! Yum! Yum!”) Then she told the king that she wanted to save her people. She was brave and told the king everything.

King Xerses listened to Esther. (Hand by ear.) He was mad (Show mad face.) that Haman wanted to hurt the queen and her people. He made a new law that saved Esther and her people.


Esther was very brave. She trusted and depended on God to help her. She did the right thing even though she was afraid. Being brave doesn’t mean that we aren’t afraid sometimes. It means that we do the right thing anyway and depend on God to help us. It means that no matter what big thing we are facing, we know that God is with us. He can help us because He is strong. You can be brave like Esther and do the right thing when you depend on God to help you. He really loves you.

PRAYER: 

Dear God,

Help me to be brave and
 make good choices. I know that you are strong and will be with me wherever I go. Thank you for loving and helping me to do the right thing. Amen

KNOW: Esther depended on God and did the right thing.
TALK ABOUT: What does it mean to be brave?
ASK: Who will help you? God will help me.


AND DO: Be brave and depend on God.



MEMORIZE: Proverbs 3:5 NIrV – (Hands open like holding a book.)
Trust – (Hands open, pull back into fists.)
In the Lord – (Make and L and touch shoulder then hip.)

With all – Hands out wide to sides.)

Your heart – (Place hands on heart.)

Do not depend – (Clap hands.)

On your own understanding – (Touch fingers to forehead.)

FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK:

 * Put on paper crowns and act like royalty for a day.


* Do something brave such as pray with a friend or get back on your bike after you fall down.